


Close the Distance

by alessandralee



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Couch Cuddles, F/F, Long-Distance Relationship, potentially deadly office cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-20
Updated: 2015-08-20
Packaged: 2018-04-16 05:28:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4612977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alessandralee/pseuds/alessandralee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skye's back on the base so Coulson can evaluate her new team, and Skye finds her hiding out in the computer room.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Close the Distance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [plinys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/plinys/gifts).



> This was written for my exchange with Jess, in which we both used AO3 tag generator to come up with a prompt. After about a year of clicking, I got "potentially deadly office cuddling."

“Are you hiding?” Jemma asks when she finally tracks Skye down.

She’s been back on the base since late last night and Jemma had assumed Skye would show up in the lab, or at least sneak into her bunk at some point. Finding her hiding out in the room that houses Coulson’s super computer is kind of an insult.

“Just adding some data I couldn’t do remotely,” Skye refuses to turn away from the giant screen in the front of her to look at Jemma.

Jemma sighs, a mix of frustration and disappointment. She’d been eagerly awaiting Skye’s visit for the entire week since Coulson announced it. She’d told Skye that much, in one of their hard to schedule video chats. She even baked cookies for the occasion (and helped herself to a few for breakfast after waking up alone). 

She’d thought Skye was just as excited.

Perhaps she thought wrong.

“So that’s a yes, then?” Jemma asks, forcing herself to conceal how hurt she feels. “And here I thought you meant it when you said you miss me.”

Well, she was never good at hiding her emotions.

Skye’s head swivels to look at Jemma, shock and concern clear on her face.

“Jem, no,” she says. “I’m not hiding from you.”

Jemma wants to believe her, but all the evidence indicates otherwise.

“You’re right, I’m probably hiding,” Skye acquiesces. “But not from you, from the walking, talking, disasters currently walking the halls of this lovely base.”

Jemma’s eyes narrow as she puzzles out exactly whom Skye’s referring to.

“Your team or ours?” Jemma asks, still unable to accept that, officially, they no longer work on the same team.

She’s pretty sure she knows what has Skye stressed out enough to hide out in the computer room, but it never hurts to be sure.

“The one full of fire and explosions and enough property damage to make me wince while doing budget reports,” Skye whines, grateful for an opportunity to unload on a sympathetic ear.

“I’m assuming you’re referring to your secret warriors, only because you weren’t here when Fitz and Mack tried to remove the asbestos from the south wing.”

That, at least, makes Skye chuckle.

“That bad?” she asks.

Jemma nods solemnly, “We were inhaling smoke for days. Trust them to make an easy thing complicated.”

“Speaking of Mack,” Skye changes the subject, “how’s he dealing with the sudden presence of a team of Inhumans? I haven’t seen him.”

There’s no way he’s pleased. Skye just hopes he’s not being confrontational about it. Lincoln’s learned to take Mack’s… concerns in stride, but some of her new recruits are a bit more sensitive.

“He and Bobbi were dispatched to parts unknown yesterday,” Jemma tells her. Then she whispers, “”Between you and me, I believe Bobbi was given strict orders not to return until things are back to normal.”

“Until we pack up and leave?’ Skye clarifies. “I just hope we pass Coulson’s inspection.”

Yes, Skye wants to spend more time with the friends she hasn’t seen in months. And she especially wants to see more of Jemma. Video chats and text messages aren’t exactly keeping her warm at night (although late night Inhuman-ignited fires are keeping her quite toasty). But she’s also terrified that Coulson will realize she’s just barely got this team under control. She doesn’t want to fail him.

“So that’s what has you so worked up,” Jemma observes, happy to get to the root of the problem.

Skye sighs, and Jemma finally leaves the doorway to go to her. As soon as she’s within reach, Skye’s out of her chair and pulling her in close.

“This could all go horribly wrong,” she admits, resting her head on Jemma’s shoulder.

“Oh sweetie,” Jemma rubs her back comfortingly, “it always goes horribly wrong.”

Skye’s so stressed out that the small giggle she first lets out snowballs into a full belly-laugh that has her bent in two. Jemma has to guide her to the couch Skye forced Trip to drag into the room nearly a year ago. Skye spent plenty of all-nighters on that couch back when they were operating on just a skeleton crew.

“You didn’t let me finish,” Jemma scolds once Skye’s laughter has died down. “I was going to say that it always going horribly wrong, but we always manage to get through it.”

“Yeah, but this time I’m all by myself,” Skye protests, lying down so that her head rests in Jemma’s lap.

It feels childish to do so, but if she’s doing to indulge in a venting session, she might as well fully commit to it.

“Don’t be silly,” Jemma swats the side of Skye’s head. “You’re not alone. I’m here for you, and so is everyone else. We might not be close, but we always have your back.”

“It’s not the same,” Skye moans.

“It’s not,” Jemma says softly, reminding Skye that this whole long distance thing probably isn’t easy for her, either, “but you’ve got Lincoln, right? Is he helping? Fitz tried to have a few words with him before you guys left, but that went about as well as you’d expect.”

Skye tries to imagine scrawny sweater enthusiast Fitz threatening Lincoln, and the results are just comical.

“He called him Sparky,” Jemma confides.

“I wish I could have been there,” Skye says.

“I wish you could have been there, too,” Jemma responds wistfully. “But you’re here now,” she perks up as she checks her watch, “and you’ve got an hour and a half until your little demonstration for Coulson, so scoot over.”

Skye rolls her eyes and makes room for Jemma to lie down.

“So demanding,” Skye grumbles. “Hey, I thought I was the big spoon.”

“Big spoon is situational,” Jemma informs Skye as she wriggles in behind her. “Today you need little spoon.”

Skye doesn’t protest as Jemma wraps an arm around her waist. She missed this. She missed how calming Jemma’s presence could be, how comforting.

If only she could get this on her own base, the one that still feels cold and sterile even though she’s been living there for months.

“Do you think we have time for a nap?” Skye asks, the sudden absence of nervous adrenaline leaving her exhausted.

“I’ll set an alarm,” Jemma promises, and Skye can feel her digging into her pocket for her phone.

Skye’s last thought before she falls asleep is that she really needs to find a way to come home more often.


End file.
